The Fire-eyes, Pyriglena, are a genus of BIRDS, in the antbird family Thamnophilidae. The genus contains three species, all found in South America. The fire-eyes are 16-18 cm in length, weigh 25-36 g and have characteristic red eyes that give them their name. They have sexually dimorphic plumage, with the females possessing brown to buff coloured bodies with black tails, and the males being black with small patches of white on the back or wings. The fire-eyes eat a variety of insects, and will regularly follow army ants in order to to catch prey flushed by them. Two of the fire-eyes are widespread, but one species, the Fringe-backed Fire-eye is threatened with extinction.

The Brazilian Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio) has officially recognised the creation of two Private Nature Reserves in the state of Bahia, Brazil, to help protect the Endangered Fringe-backed Fire-eye Pyriglena atra. The reserves Olho-de-Fogo-Rendado (103 hectares) and Curió (13 hectares) are both located in the municipality of São Sebastião do Passé, along the north coast of Bahia.

“We would also like to thank BirdLife International, SAVE Brasil, and the RSPB for the support given to this project since its very beginning in 2005. This support has contributed significantly to the creation of the Private Nature Reserves”, said Sidnei Sampaio, the researcher that leads the program for the conservation of the Fringe-backed Fire-eye.  The creation of the Private Nature Reserves results from a partnership between the Instituto Amuirandê and the Bahia Association for the Conservation of Natural Resources (ABCRN), also supported by the Aliança para a Conservação da Mata Atlântica and The Nature Conservancy.

The ’Survey and Conservation of the Fringe-backed Fire-eye Program’, which is managed by ABCRN, aims to promote the conservation of the area of Atlantic Forest where the species occurs. The Fringe-backed Fire-eye is the symbol of the Program for two key reasons, firstly because of its threatened status but also because it is restricted to a narrow strip of Coastal Atlantic Forest, between the rivers Paraguaçu (Bahia state) and São Francisco (Sergipe state).